Floods!, Venice

Favorite thing: The last 100 years , the ground of Venice has lost 23cm because of the water rise and the solifluction.The Venetian people have used to this situation (acqua alta) and during flood period they protect their houses and their stores with tones of sand sacks.

Favorite thing: Observing the architecture.

Fondest memory: The last night while in Venice, I took a walk and notice in Plaza San Marco workers were installing platforms. Not know ing any better I continued to my hotel and fell asleep. The following morning while eating breakfast, I heard blow horns sounding and the staff informed me that the horns were for high water. I can still remember rolling up my pants legs that morning and walking diaginally across Plaza San Marco in cold water to my mid-calf (my calves were so big I could not get my pants legs any further up).

Be prepared when you are in Venice and you see wooden platforms being installed and hear sirens the following day!

Fondest memory: You will notice, in the city, piles of metal trestles and planks of wood. They are erected as walking platforms during the seasonal high tides which flood many parts of Venice at regular and irregular intervals. Piazza San Marco is flooded before other areas because under it still runs the Canale Botario which was interred when the Basilica Di San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale were built. When these platforms are not officially needed they are put to other uses, such as picnic tables for daytrippers and as stalls by unlicenced street vendors.

If you should hear 'air-raid' type sirens, then this means they are warning you that the high tide is expected to reach over 1.10 meters above the average sea level, therefore flooding some parts of Venice.